Growing Up
I was born and raised in Warner Robins, GA. I stayed busy playing sports year round as a kid. I grew up in a nice quiet neighborhood that kept me out of trouble. My parents are pretty religious and that rubbed off on my two sisters, brother and I.
I first started playing football when I was 8 years old. My first position was quarterback and I got my first touchdown on offense. My brother also played football for a little while. I also enjoyed playing baseball and basketball.
My four years at Northside High were phenomenal! I lost only five football games in four years playing the quarterback position. My most memorable game was in the State Championship during my senior year. We lost but it was an incredible experience. Since I graduated, they won the past two State Championships and lost in the Championship game the year before that.
Going to Clemson
I decided to attend Clemson because I felt like it was where I belonged and it wasn’t far from home. I had a hard time adjusting to doing my class work at first because I didn’t have my parents there telling me what to do. I had to grow up fast! I majored in business.
I worked hard on and off the football field and it really paid off. I became the first Clemson player since the forties to score a Touchdown via pass, rush, punt return and reception and first since 1971 to earn All-ACC honors in consecutive seasons. I also become the first player in Clemson history to post consecutive games with multiple touchdown receptions. My most memorable game was when we played Miami in 2006 and our crowd broke the sound barrier!
NFL DRAFT
I trained in Atlanta with Chip Smith and Eric Lougas for the NFL Draft. I didn’t really care what team drafted me. To me, just being in the NFL was a great accomplishment!
My first reaction to being drafted by the Jets was – wow, New York! I definitely expected to be drafted higher but had a bad foot. The whole draft experience was both exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time! I watched the draft in Atlanta at my place with my family. My only advice to young players about to get drafted is to simply be humble.
NFL
My rookie season was hard. It was very tough being on injured reserve and not being able to play. It was especially tough with the season we had. It wasn’t tough physically for me to adjust to the NFL from college. It was a grind mentally though. The biggest difference between playing football in college and the NFL is that you’re playing with guys with 8+ years experience over you and they have a huge mental edge. Adjusting to living up north in New Jersey wasn’t tough. Manhattan is just a different entity though with all of the cabs and buildings.
The thing I like most about the NFL is that I’m playing at the highest professional level. The thing I like least about the NFL is training camp – as I’m sure most players will agree! Don’t get me wrong, I always work out hard. I lift weights four times a week – I do a lot of chest, biceps and sit ups. I don’t really have any mentors but I try to study different individuals to help me become better.
Ten years from now, I’ll hopefully have saved enough money to only have to work in real estate. I have a big interest in real estate.
I was born and raised in Warner Robins, GA. I stayed busy playing sports year round as a kid. I grew up in a nice quiet neighborhood that kept me out of trouble. My parents are pretty religious and that rubbed off on my two sisters, brother and I.
I first started playing football when I was 8 years old. My first position was quarterback and I got my first touchdown on offense. My brother also played football for a little while. I also enjoyed playing baseball and basketball.
My four years at Northside High were phenomenal! I lost only five football games in four years playing the quarterback position. My most memorable game was in the State Championship during my senior year. We lost but it was an incredible experience. Since I graduated, they won the past two State Championships and lost in the Championship game the year before that.
Going to Clemson
I decided to attend Clemson because I felt like it was where I belonged and it wasn’t far from home. I had a hard time adjusting to doing my class work at first because I didn’t have my parents there telling me what to do. I had to grow up fast! I majored in business.
I worked hard on and off the football field and it really paid off. I became the first Clemson player since the forties to score a Touchdown via pass, rush, punt return and reception and first since 1971 to earn All-ACC honors in consecutive seasons. I also become the first player in Clemson history to post consecutive games with multiple touchdown receptions. My most memorable game was when we played Miami in 2006 and our crowd broke the sound barrier!
NFL DRAFT
I trained in Atlanta with Chip Smith and Eric Lougas for the NFL Draft. I didn’t really care what team drafted me. To me, just being in the NFL was a great accomplishment!
My first reaction to being drafted by the Jets was – wow, New York! I definitely expected to be drafted higher but had a bad foot. The whole draft experience was both exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time! I watched the draft in Atlanta at my place with my family. My only advice to young players about to get drafted is to simply be humble. NFL
My rookie season was hard. It was very tough being on injured reserve and not being able to play. It was especially tough with the season we had. It wasn’t tough physically for me to adjust to the NFL from college. It was a grind mentally though. The biggest difference between playing football in college and the NFL is that you’re playing with guys with 8+ years experience over you and they have a huge mental edge. Adjusting to living up north in New Jersey wasn’t tough. Manhattan is just a different entity though with all of the cabs and buildings.
The thing I like most about the NFL is that I’m playing at the highest professional level. The thing I like least about the NFL is training camp – as I’m sure most players will agree! Don’t get me wrong, I always work out hard. I lift weights four times a week – I do a lot of chest, biceps and sit ups. I don’t really have any mentors but I try to study different individuals to help me become better.
Ten years from now, I’ll hopefully have saved enough money to only have to work in real estate. I have a big interest in real estate.
